At the Petrochemical Industry Responsible Care Annual Report Release Conference hosted by China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association (CPCIA)* on October 13, 2009, 12 domestic enterprises released their Responsible Care Annual Report for the first time. This release, by demonstrating the active efforts and concerns of enterprises in protecting environment and benefiting society, has aroused close attention from all domestic media. This is also an emblem that domestic Responsible Care has proceeded from the promotion in the trade level to the actual implementation in the enterprises with the first fruits having been born.

After the Responsible Care Promotion Conference in 2007, CPCIA has made special efforts in strengthening the organizational force behind the Responsible Care by integrating the security division and environmental protection division, etc. into quality security & environmental protection department, which will be particularly committed to showing concern for the Responsible Care. After the establishment of this department, the first step to popularize the Responsible Care is to develop Responsible Care Guidelines for China Petroleum and Chemical Industry.

In early 2008, an expert panel jointly established by CPCIA and the Association of International Chemical Manufacturer revised the Responsible Care Guidelines (advance edition) issued in April 2007, and formulated the revised edition of this guideline in accordance with China's national situation.

While developing the guideline, CPCIA also took advantage of investigation to grope for basic mode and practice fitting for China's national conditions. In April 2008, this association dispatched a research group consisting of Responsible Care experts to some enterprises which have promised to pursue Responsible Care such as Shandong Yantai Wanhua Polyurethane Co., Ltd., Qingdao Haijing Chemical Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. for investigation and on-site instruction. In July, a second round of survey on the implementation of Responsible Care was also carried out by this group at BASF (China) Co., Ltd. and Ciba China Co., Ltd. in Shanghai. During the field survey sparked a more systematic train of thoughts to launch Responsible Care in China.

In spite of this, there was still some resistance against the Responsible Care, for example, some pilot enterprises had no idea about how to take actions after making commitment to pursue "Responsible Care". To this end, CPCIA dedicated itself to carefully instructing those enterprises and parks and evaluating their work, while presiding over many experience exchanging symposiums centered on "Responsible Care". Through these activities, it encouraged the enterprises to carry out self-assessment for identifying their advantages and disadvantages so that a definite target could be aimed at; on the other hand, it helped those enterprises solve the problems encountered and clarify the relations between Responsible Care and management systems such as HSE, OSHM and ISO14000, so as to nail down the emphasis in Responsible Care.

By June 2009, the Responsible Care had been launched in a majority of pilot enterprises. To further consolidate the achievements and spread the influence of Responsible Care, CPCIA received the support from some government organs, e.g. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic China (MIIT) and made a series of reports on "Responsible Care in China", through which the philosophy and measures adopted in Responsible Care by petrochemical industry in China were brought forth in an all-round manner and from multiple perspectives.

This conference is of milestone significance. Implementing, evaluating and releasing the report constitute an integral process for an enterprise to practise Responsible Care. The release of Responsible Care Annual Report will effectively assist the enterprise in building up its capability in launching Responsible Care, thus laying a sound foundation for the engrained localization of Responsible Care. At present, the association is organizing the compilation of Petrochemical Industry Standard of "Responsible Care", striving for completing the draft for approval by the end of 2010. Upon the approval and confirmation of this standard, the execution of domestic Responsible Care will have regulations to abide by.

* Since May 10, 2010, China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association (CPCIA) has been changed its name to China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation (CPCIF).